Donna Randall to Lead Cancer Prevention Institute of California

Albion’s 15th president has served as College chancellor in 2013-2014

June 18, 2014 | By John Perney

After seven years of leadership at Albion College—and seven Michigan winters—Donna Randall is heading to the West Coast.

The former Albion president, who will conclude her service as the College’s chancellor on June 30, is preparing for a move to the Bay Area, where on July 14 she will become president and CEO of the Cancer Prevention Institute of California.

For forty years, the CPIC has been developing and implementing innovative cancer prevention research and outreach programs as part of the overall effort to defeat cancer. Its stated mission “is to prevent cancer and reduce its burden where it cannot yet be prevented.” The organization has evolved and grown from its original role of assisting with clinical trials of cancer drugs to its research leadership role today, which includes a formal partnership with the Stanford University Cancer Institute.

“I am honored to serve in a leadership role in an organization that, through research and education, can benefit so many people,” said Randall, whose role will focus on fundraising, building further partnerships, and raising the CPIC’s visibility. “Members of my extended family, as with many families, have been touched by cancer. The experience and skills that I developed over my career and, especially, over my seven years at Albion College allow me to lead a team of dedicated research scientists committed to understanding the causes of cancer and educating others in order to reduce its incidence and burden.”

Randall became Albion College’s 15th president on July 1, 2007. She was the first woman to hold the office. In her six-year presidency, Randall provided the vision for and led the creation of the Albion Advantage, an all-encompassing approach to an Albion education that combines the liberal arts with experiential learning opportunities and career preparation from a student’s first year on campus.

“I believe that an Albion education brings out the best in students: a commitment to learning and a willingness to take risks, to tackle new challenges, and to move out of their comfort zone,” Randall said. “Albion graduates also develop an awareness of societal problems and a strong desire to be part of their solution.

“As I contemplate my new position, I am reminded of why so many Albion alumni are professionally successful and personally satisfied.”

Randall is sure to find satisfaction in her new chapter well beyond her day-to-day role.

“On a personal level, Paul and I are looking forward to relocation,” she said. “Our daughter, Kate, and my father are both on the West Coast, and my older brother lives in the Bay Area.”

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